Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-09
WEEKLY GAZETTE: TEXAS FRIDAY DECEMBER
landed to storm the positions under fire
from the floating batteries

landed to storm the positions under fire
from the floating batteries.
The whole of the long, Way grass and
dense bushes by the river side seemed
alive with musketry, while deep and
hosrse came the booming Of our GA
Founders, the great shot of which at
times went hummiug over tAe batteries
and trenches into the open ground be-
yor0.
The thin blue smoke of the adverse
rifles and cannor5 curled through and en-
vel ped the dropping msngroves that
fringed the river bank, and relied along
its surface. rising but slowly therefr0m,
as the atmosphere WAS close, still and
heavy.
The naval brigade threw shells into the
enemy's earthwoIks with wonderful
rapiditY snd precision; but Two hours
| oombardment waS required 10 silence the
fire from the latter, when the defenders
drew Off into the j1ngle, al.er 3 severe
! loss in killed and wounded, while, in lh21
quarter, we had Oaly two Blue jackets
/ slightly hit; but, nil by one OF the lsst
shots that came from the fugitivas flying
iato the lngle, wa5 the giddy young sa5 4,
/ Cecil Travers, the handsome boy attached
10 the Governors BODY guards. He fell
forward o. his fzce, h IN the heart, and
never moved agEin.
The fire Of our machine gums proved
especially destructive and terrible. IN
der ii, entire groups Of Burmese, in shin
ing helmets aud gorgeous TUNES Cf f0W-
cred STUFF, fell in heaps, from which, per-
haps, one OF more might be seen TO stag
ger up. or crawl sway il agony, only 70
sink and perish little further on.
Ga the flight Of the enemy, detach
ment CT The Liverpool Regiment, another
of the Eleventh Bombay, and company
OF SapperR, were left 20 form q garrison
in Myan Cyan.
Wearied by the events CT the day, Ions
dale was returning to the fiotilla, which
had orders to proceed slowly up the
river.
Threading his way in the dusk, where
the stems OF the ebony and banYan trees
stood up ia black and opaque outlines
against the red and purple quarter Of the
sky where the sun had set, leaving
fush, IS Of blood, upon the pools, TIE
swamps and the currents Of the 1raWaddy
threading his way, we Say, among the
dead ard wounded WDO streWed ell the
vicinity of the eDemY's W0rGs, & gro&1, =
voice he knew. arrested his steps; ana TO
MS distress and dismsy he found that he
had nearly stumbled over the taOuGhtless
snd needless young lieutenant, Charlie
DRnvers, who, like his Chum TraVers, was
also On the general staff, and now lay On
his back dying of mortal wound, with
bells of blood and foam ooZing from his
lips.
Yet he knew Lonsdsle, and mis- eyes,
sad and weird in expression, rested
auXiously, Clingingly, on his face, as the
former bent over him.
The lad seemed quite conscious. but
unable to speak.
"Poor Charlie-uy poor fellow" es-
capped Lonsdale's lips unconsciously.i
The dying lad, in whose breast the
fragment of shell had lodged, driving
the ribs into the lungs, made more than
one most painful effort to mutter sens
thing that sounded like farewell mes
sage to Someone; 80 Lonsdale bent ever
him lower still to catch the words, so
terribly important now. but II vaip.
Then suddenly Charlie raised himself
as Il by superhuman attempt, end
while smile, wonderful brightness,
shone for moment in his eyes and on
his face, he cried, in 3 strange and broken
voice:
"Motner-mother here"
A visionary and well-loved face had
lowered before him for moment
moment of happy but distempered fancy,
ard then he fell back dead.
Lonsdale fingered near him sadly for 8
moment or two, and after reVerently
closing his eyes, turned sway in great
sorrow. Prayers were not much in his
way; thus Byron's line occurred to him:
Al Il q. we know is, nothing can be known.
But poor, thoughtless Charlie Daavers
now knew all.
The two young friends were gone; two
more lives lost in that remote and almost
obscure strife; tat it was their fate and
the fortune of war.
ITO be Continued Nat Heck.